"School bus would pass by and kids would scream ‘Rinku Singh, Rinku Singh, five sixes"- Yash Dayal's father recalls son's nightmarish IPL 2023 moment
Pacer Yash Dayal's father, Chanderpal Dayal, recalled the aftermath of the painful IPL 2023 moment when his son was smashed by Rinku Singh for five sixes in the final over to cost his side the game. Requiring 28 off five deliveries, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Rinku Singh smashed Dayal for five maximums in one of the most dramatic finishes in IPL history.
While the moment helped Rinku rise through the ranks, it was arguably rock bottom for Dayal as he finished IPL 2023 with only two wickets at an average of 82.50 and an economy of 11.79.
Recalling the days after that infamous moment, Chanderpal Dayal told PTI in an interview as quoted by Sportstar:
"It was like an accident for us. The school bus would pass by, and kids would scream, ‘Rinku Singh, Rinku Singh, five sixes.’ It was so painful -- why did this have to happen to my son? His mother Radha was so distraught that she fell ill and refused to eat as Yash went into a shell. Titans also released him as he had to rebuild his career."
Despite the dark moment, Chanderpal elaborated on how the family never let Yash Dayal think about giving up.
"Yash fell ill, but we never let him think about giving up. We, as a family, made a pledge. We won’t stop until you play for India. You will play for India. Me and my family would keep motivating him to ensure that he never thinks of giving up. And today, he’s in front of you," Chaderpal Dayal stated.
After being released by the Gujarat Titans, Yash Dayal was picked up by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru for the IPL 2024 season. The left-arm pacer bounced back from the disastrous IPL 2023 season with an excellent IPL 2024, finishing with 15 wickets.
"It can’t get bigger than this for a father" - Chanderpal Dayal
Chanderpal Dayal could not hide his delight at his son Yash Dayal being selected to the Indian squad for the first Bangladesh Test in Chennai, starting September 19.
The 26-year-old picked up excellent match figures of 4/89 in the recently concluded 2024 Duleep Trophy encounter between India A and India B.
"It can’t get bigger than this for a father. For any cricketer, representing the country in Tests is the ultimate dream. It’s a huge day for us, for our family, and for our friends. The entire credit goes to him. No matter how hard I would have tried, it was his efforts that got him where he has reached today," said Chanderpal Dayal.
He added:
"Yash is a God-gifted natural talent. I never had to teach him the nuances of cricket. My family and I just made him mentally stronger."
Dayal's left-arm option and the impressive Duleep Trophy outing proved pivotal for his selection to the Indian Test squad. He has picked up 76 first-class wickets at an average of 28.89 in 24 games.